The enclosure has a system to maintain the ambient temperature

The rainbow-coloured insects flitting over the variety of flowers in the enclosure in the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park are bound to attract visitors.

The enclosure – Butterfly Park – was thrown open to public by Minister of Environment, Forests Science & Technology Satrucherla Vijaya Rama Raju here on Saturday.

The meshed enclosure with a fountain and an artificial waterfall has a system of sprinklers and sprayers that maintain the ambient temperature between 28 and 30 Celsius and humidity of 70 per cent enabling the winged beauties live and also keep the flowers alive and full of nectar, curator of the Zoo G Ramalingam explained. There plans to reduce the ambient temperature, he added.

The enclosure is a veritable oasis amid the vegetation that has wilted under the high temperatures of the season. The zoo authorities took the help of local volunteers of the Dolphin Nature Conservation Society in collecting the larva and also developing the garden with a diverse range of flowers.

The Park is a part of the overall plan for development of the zoo park, Minister told the media. The zoo has added a number of animals, including a rhino, a pair of Indian bisons, Chausingas, hyena and Asiatic lion, he said. The zoo is set to get a pair of giraffes, a pair of cheetahs, chimpanzees, hippopotamus, leopard and black bears, among others, this year, he added.

The zoo has also launched a ‘adopt an animal’ scheme under which public can donate for the annual maintenance of chosen animal, the Minister said. He urged the philanthropic spirited persons to participate in the scheme.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force) BSS Reddy, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests P Mallikarjuna Rao and other senior officials and employees of the Forest Department and the zoo were also present.

Slideshow

Workers carryingout repairs to Visakhapatnam District Collector's Office, as it was damaged in Cyclone Hudhud in 2014 October. The majestic heritage building was designed and built by Dutch engineering company Gannon Dunkerly in 1865 and completed by 1914. Photos: C.V. Subrahmanyam